Politics shadow senators’ health exchange choices

Mark Begich, Kay Hagan, and Mike Enzi are all giving up government contributions. | AP Photo

McConnell said he and all of his staff — including leadership staff, who could have stayed on the federal plan — will move to the exchange. “Unlike the entire Obama administration, which is trying to convince Americans that the government exchanges are great but is not participating in them, the senator is not exempting himself or his staff from the exchanges,” said McConnell spokesman John Ashbrook.

One of McConnell’s chief lieutenants, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), said he will continue getting health coverage through his home state.

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Even senators from Democratic-leaning states are thinking about the choices. “My wife and I are having conversations about that,” Delaware Sen. Chris Coons explained. He’s probably going to go through the Washington exchange along with his staff. But he added, “I have already created an account with the Delaware exchange to go through the experience to see how it works, and I’m listening to constituents’ concerns about how the exchanges are functioning.”

Choosing a state exchange rather than the Washington exchange could hurt lawmakers’ bottom line after leaving office: Without participating in the Washington exchange, they might not be eligible for federal health insurance and the usual government contribution in their retirement plans.

Until this year, many lawmakers were on the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, in which the government paid up to about 75 percent of the cost. That structure is similar to the shared-cost arrangement that many large employers offer their workers.

But accepting the federal contribution became more controversial this fall after Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) pushed for an end to the government’s payments into federal employees’ plans, depicting it as a special perk that the Obama administration included for its allies on Capitol Hill.

Obamacare requires lawmakers to join the new insurance exchanges, or they can find other coverage, such as through a spouse’s insurance plan or forgo coverage and pay a penalty.

If they sign up through the Washington small-business health options program, the federal government contribution can continue. Under the Washington plan, the federal government can contribute up to 75 percent of a lawmaker’s total premium — no more than $5,114 per year for an individual or $11,378 for a family. The contribution formula is the same one used for other federal employees.

Of course, signing up can be a problem for any lawmaker — not just senators in tight contests. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) tried last Thursday to enroll in the Washington insurance exchange — and got an error message, according to a statement from his office.

“Like many Americans, my experience was pretty frustrating,” he said. But hours later, he was enrolled.